James Potter: the Ash and the Elm
by sharissa-human-no
Summary: James Sirius Potter is about to begin his fourth year at Hogwarts and compete in the Quidditch World Cup.


Prologue

"Have the British gained control over their problem yet?"

"Yes sir, the Potter boy killed him in… The Battle of Hogwarts, their calling it. Lot's of causalities, muggles too. The government is stabilizing, but still shaky."

"And what of Dispono? Have the Brits found a candidate yet?"

"No sir."

Chapter One

Stag Hall

Stag Hall glinted as the sun set. James Sirius Potter sprinted across the yard, his red and white practice robes trailing through the air, his broomstick bobbing under his arm.

He sprinted through the shadow of the house, hoping he hadn't missed the singing.

"Victoire," James froze mid stride. Teddy Lupin, in all ways but blood his older brother, was kneeling on the ground, in front of him, "will you marry me?"

James burst out laughing.

"What the…" Teddy jumped to his feet.

"Why of course my beloved Edward, I would be more than honored," James said in his most terrible French accent, batting his eyelashes and extending his left hand.

"Shut up," Teddy said, swatting his hand away, "She doesn't even talk like that."

"Teddy?" Victoire herself called from the edge of the house, "Teddy are you out here? They're about to cut the cake." James burst out laughing.

"Yeah, coming!" Teddy called back. He threw his arm over James's shoulder, "shall we?"

"Is that really how you're going to propose?" James said, throwing his arm around Teddy and walking toward the house, "can you say: predictable?"

"I hate you," Teddy smiled as they rounded the corner.

"I hate you too," James grinned back.

The back of the house was swaddled in a massive banner bearing the shy face of Al, James's little brother, and an enormous number twelve. Al kept trying to hide behind the number. Fairy lights hung from all the trees and Bunches of red and gold balloons hung in the air over the assembled crowd.

"Happy Birthday TOOOO you, Happy birthday TOOOOOOO YOOOU, HAAAAAPY BIRTHDAY DEEEEEAR AAAAAAAL, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOO YOU!" The group sang in unison.

An inordinate number of Weasleys, even the Weasley's no one particularly liked, had gathered for the birthday celebration of Albus Severus Potter, along with a few friendly faces. Neville Longbottom, a professor at Hogwarts, with a lady James didn't know, stood near the banquet table chatting with Hagrid, the keeper of the keys of Hogwarts. James spotted his father, Harry Potter, talking amiably with Ernie Macmillan who had no doubt brought Bella Macmillan, Al's only real friend at Hogwarts, to the party.

"James I was getting worried, what kept you?" Ginny Potter, James's mother appeared, levitating an enormous bowl of punch towards the food table.

"Practice ran late mum, missed the port key, but Wood gave me a lift," James quivered in disgust, "I hate side along apparition."

"And you didn't invite him to the party?" Ginny frowned.

"Of course I did but he had to get home to Katie. He said he may stop by later," James said, trailing behind her towards the food.

"How is Oliver these day?" Lilly asked as she delicately lowered the punch down beside the cake, a massive piece of work in the shape of Gryffindor Tower, half eaten and looking very sad.

"Nervous, which isn't surprising," James said as he cut off the last bit of the roof and shoved it into his mouth. Oliver Wood had gone to school with James's parents and was now the manager of the English Quidditch team and a soon to be Dad.

"I can understand that. Oh Neville! How are you?" Ginny was absorbed into the conversation between Neville and Hagrid.

James examined the food options in front of him, before deciding to take a bit of everything. "And how is my international quidditch star?" Molly Weasley wrapped James in a tight hug as he struggled to keep his food tower from collapsing.

"I'm good Gran," James smiled, looking for an escape route. His broom was still tucked under his arm, and he had no doubt his smell was starting to offend his aunt Audrey, who looked at him with pursed lips.

James finally escaped his relative's clutches before collapsing into a chair beside his cousin Dominique. "You smell terrible," She said.

"Thanks. How's the party been so far?" James said through a mouthful of pumpkin cakes, Al's favorite.

"Dull, as per usual. I just love these Weasley reunions," Dom smiled at him, she could be the life of the party if she wanted to be, with her beautiful blonde hair, striking features, and quick wit, but instead she often sat alone on the edges, taking notes of what she could use against people in the future. She was James's favorite cousin. Both would be starting their fourth year at Hogwarts and both were on their respective quidditch teams, Dom the chaser for Ravenclaw, and James the keeper for Gryffindor.

"Oh James! There you are," Neville broke away from Ginny and Hagrid and sat beside James and Dom. "Hello Dominique, how are you this evening?"

"Just radiant," Dom flashed a smile that could melt a dragon's heart.

"I finally heard back from the World Cup Committee as well as Professor McGonagall," Neville said.

"What did they say?" James was the youngest person in history to make the national team, and would be the third youngest person to ever compete in the World Cup. When he made the English team there had been confusion as to whether or not he could play for the Hogwarts league as well. The initial consensus had been no.

"Since the Hogwarts season begins after the world cup is over the decision has been reached that you may play on the house team so long as you maintain your academics."

"What?" Dom groaned, "Without him we could have won the bloody cup!"

"You're joking. That's fantastic," James shook Neville's hand, "Thank you so much."

"I can't wait to see both my teams win," Neville winked, slapping James on the back.

"Dom do you know what this means?" James said after Neville had rejoined the rest of the party.

"It means I'm going to have to murder the Gryffindor seaker or catch the snitch in the first ten minutes."

"Both viable options. But let's not be ridiculous, the Ravenclaw keeper, unless by some miracle you discover another protégé, and we both know those only come around once every generation," James gestured to himself with a sly smile, "is a mess. Ravenclaw is going to get creamed. It means I will be the first person in history to win both the Quidditch World Cup and The Hogwarts Quidditch cup in the same season!"

Dom rolled her eyes, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. But back to the World Cup, how many tickets do you get? Who are you going to take?" She clasped her hands in front of his face and mouthed _please please please please_.

"I get fifteen tickets, so that's mum, dad, Al, Lily, Teddy, Victoire," he paused when Dom gave him an angry look, "Teddy won't go anywhere without her, they're practically glued at the hip. Anyways… mum, dad, Al, Lil, Ted, Victoire, Grams, Grandpa, Fred, Uncle George, Uncle Ron, Uncle Bill, Charley, Roxanne, and…" James looked about at the collection of cousins on the yard in front of him, "Of course I'm inviting you! Don't' be ridiculous."

Dom threw her arms around James's neck, "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

"Yeah yeah, you're welcome," he shrugged her off of, "I've really got to get cleaned up. I'll see you in Italy."

Dom squealed as James walked away.

"Dad," James nearly ran into his father, Harry Potter.

"James, how was practice?" Harry said, walking into the house, without looking up from his Prophet. James followed him closely.

"Amazing. Phelps and Oliver are magnificent, it's like the bludgers are their pets, doing whatever they want. It's great. And Cornwell and Martin are doing everything they can to score, but I've never flown so well. They don't even get close to the hoops. They keep putting the second string keeper in, just so they can get some actual practice scoring. I'm a bit nervous about Bryant though… He can never find the hoop, it's almost like…" Harry walked into his office and shut the door, cutting James off mid-sentence, "good chat dad," James rested his head on the door, "always great talking to you."

He slid to the floor and closed his eyes.

"Excpecto… Patronum…" James opened his eyes as Albus came down the hall, his nose buried in his book. He murmured spells under his breath as he walked.

James stuck out his foot as Albus approached, sending him sprawling to the floor, losing his glasses along the way.

James scooped up the book as Albus patted the floor for his glasses. "The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection. Very nice, not a very exciting read though."

"Give me my book back," Albus said, finding his glasses and shoving them back on his face.

"Shouldn't you be at a party?" James said, shuffling through the pages as he got to his feet.

"James, give it back," Albus whined, reaching for the book.

James held it out of his reach, "Bella McMillan is here and everything. Shouldn't you be romancing her or something?"

Albus jumped for the book, missed, slipped on James's broom, and toppled to the ground, his glasses breaking as he stepped on them. James laughed.

"What is going on here?" Harry stepped from his office onto the scene, "Albus are you alright?" He leaned down to his younger son, taking is glasses from the floor and repairing them with a flick of his wand. "James Sirius Potter you apologize to your brother this instant."

"For what?" James snapped, "Because my brother is a nerd and can't manage to stay on his own feet?"

"James," Harry snapped, standing to face his son. "Give him his book back, and apologize for breaking his glasses and making him fall."

James threw the book at Albus who toppled over at the force of it, picked up his broom, and stormed down the hall, calling over his shoulder, "I'm sorry I got stuck in this stupid family."

"James Sirius Potter, you get back here this instant," Harry yelled.

"Dad, it's fine," Albus said in a small voice.

"No Albus it's not. James," Harry tromped after him.

"Careful Dad, I'd hate for all our guests to think you don't have perfect control of all your children," James yelled as he slammed his bedroom door.

Harry beat at the door with his fists, "James you open this door!"

"Or what?" James slid down the frame.

"Or I'll break it down."

"I'd like to see you try," James laughed humorlessly.

"What is it Harry?" Ginny's voice penetrated the room.

"James is tormenting his brother, and on his birthday no less, and now has locked himself in his room."

"James, honey, what's wrong?" Ginny said loudly.

"Oh nothing, just trying to find a way to magic myself out of this bloody family," James yelled back.

"You watch your language, young man, your mother can hear you," Harry snarled.

"Right, because she didn't have six older brothers or anything," James picked up a quaffle from his floor and threw it at the wall as hard as he could.

"Can't you just magic it open?" said the voice of Arthur Weasley, James's grandfather.

"He sealed it shut last summer with a load of protective spells, you can't even apperate in and out," Ginny whispered back.

"Cleve boy," Arthur muttered.

"You mean at thirteen he did that? Bloody hell that's impressive, I bet _you_ couldn't even have done that at that age Hermione," Ron bellowed.

A small army was gathering outside of James's room.

"What am I going to do with him?" Harry moaned, "I would never have disrespected my parents this way."

"Nah, you would have, everyone does. I would be worried if kids didn't you know," Ron said with a laugh.

"Albus doesn't give me any of this trouble," Harry growled, "James open this door!"

"Well, that's what I'm saying, it's the ones that don't disrespect their parent's every once in a while that you've got to watch for. No offence Albus, and besides, brothers fight, brothers pick on each other. Take it from me," Ron said.

"That doesn't make it right," Harry fumed.

"Right or wrong, doesn't make it any less true," Ron said.

Harry sighed, the hall way was silent for a moment. "Albus are you alright?" James listened as his father turned and comforted the middle child.

"I'm fine dad," Albus said.

"Are you sure? No glass got in your eye?"

"I'm fine," Albus said, shrugging them off, "can we go back to the party please?"

James listened as several sets of feet made their way down the hall.

"Why can't he just listen to me?" Harry whispered.

"He's young, and strong willed, like you were," Ginny muttered.

"I would have never…"

"Of course you would have. You can't pretend you would have been a perfect child, because you wouldn't' have been. You might have had siblings and you would have picked on them too. Try to put yourself in his shoes," Their footsteps faded away, leaving James alone.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his messy hair.

The walls of his room were covered in quidditch posters, Gryffindor banners, and English flags. The floor was littered with spell books, robes, and news papers. He picked up a Daily Prophet from the floor beside his bed. The headline read "Teen Titans Clash: Who will take home the World Cup?" A picture of him standing face to face with a girl with long blond hair, pulled behind her head in a tight pony tail took up most of the front page. She was Josephine Emery, fourteen, younger than him by just days, and the greatest keeper in a century. The star of the American National Quidditch Team, James would be facing her in the Quidditch World Cup the following week in Rome. He stared at her for a long moment, biting his lip. He had seen her fly once before, when America had played Ireland in the qualifying match. He had taken to studying her flying patterns, pondering them as he fell asleep, rehearsing them with his fork during dinner. He knew he could stop the other two American chasers, but Josephine Emery posed a particular problem he wasn't yet sure how to face.

He dropped the paper onto his dresser and fell onto his bed. Rolling onto his side the laughing faces of his two namesakes caught his eye, no doubt sharing in another of their endless stream of jokes. James Potter the first and Sirius Black laughed and bounced around the frame on his bedside table. He frowned at them. They were always so light hearted, even when they were sleeping. He sighed, touching the frame, "if only you knew," he whispered.


End file.
